Defend yourself, says officer

RESIDENTS were taught how to defend themselves against criminals at Tuesday's Bulwer Community Safety Forum meeting.

Captain Robby Mahabeer, an officer with 36 years in the force, along with Josh Nichol, from COPS Safety and Survival Academy, spoke to residents about crime and how they need to act against it.

“Crime is rife in every area. I have been involved with many CPFs and sectors, and have realised crime is not selective and it is not going away. It is important for residents to not come under the command and curl up and die, you need to react. You don't have to put up a fancy fight, but it's important to know self defence,” he said.

He said self defence was not about fighting, it was about escape.

“People freeze in situations and don't know what to do, and most people panic. But it is important to stay calm,” he said.

Capt Mahabeer and Nichol did a presentation for residents, showing them practical and simple techniques of self defence, in situations where they would be faced with someone who was barehanded or armed with a knife or gun.

At the meeting, Capt Motsamai Dingaan from Metro Police also spoke about the current prevalence of car break-ins in the area and urged residents to be vigilant.

“We are finding residents don't want to report crimes. This means the police don't have exact stats. It is important to report any small thing so the police know how to strategise when they go to the drawing board, they know how to focus on dealing with the certain crimes occurring in the different areas,” he said.